Syria Wants to be Among First Countries to Buy MC-21 Russian Commercial Liner

Syria is interested in renewing its air fleet by acquiring commercial Russian MC-C1 aircraft, with Damascus authorities calling Moscow a top priority on the list of buyers, Syrian Transport Minister Ali Hamud said.

According to him, the Syrian Ministry of Transport considers the purchase of Russian-made aircraft a “dream that should come true as soon as possible.” He indicated that the Syrian authorities are closely watching the development of the MC-21.

“For me, one of the first tasks of the Ministry of Transports is to go to Russia to buy all the necessary, related to air vehicles. We ask the friendly Russian side so that Syria has right of priority in the purchase of the planes in question,” said Hamud.

“We have been informed that the development of these aircraft can be completed by the end of 2019. We will be among the first to purchase the Russian aircraft to replace the Syrian air fleet by this type of aircraft,” said the minister.

He added that Syrian airlines will need additional airplanes to re-establish air traffic with Europe, reinforcing that the MC-21 will fit the target.

Elsewhere in the Arab country, the situation in the US-controlled part of Syria is deteriorating, a spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry said.

- Advertisement -

“The situation in the gray zone, the US-controlled part of the eastern bank of the Euphrates in Syria, is rapidly deteriorating,” said the official representative of the ministry, Igor Konashenkov.

“This is not a zone of de-escalation or reduction of confrontation, it is a gray area where the situation is deteriorating. This is evidenced by the large number of terrorist attacks and hostage-taking,” he said.

Konashenkov added that social and inter-ethnic contradictions are increasing in this area.

Military analyst Aleksandr Zhilin opined on the deterioration of the situation and evaluated the actions of the North American side.

“We are going to say frankly: the US in Syria does not plan to carry out a peace process. They sabotage in every way, try to prevent any political agreement aimed at directing the situation to a compromise and peace. In Syria they are all fighting against Assad. It is the United States itself, the Daesh [ISIS], as well as other terrorist organizations. This is the pro-American coalition in Syria,” Zhilin stressed.

“The situation in the zone that is under the control of the United States once again confirms the thesis that the Americans use the terrorists to fight,” he said.

Paul Antonopoulos is a Research Fellow at the Center for Syncretic Studies. He has an MA in International Relations and is interested in Great Power Rivalry as well as the International Relations and Political Economy of the Middle East and Latin America.